Waxwings & Phainopepla

Look for Phainopeplas are a striking, medium-sized songbird with a shaggy crest, a long tail, and a small, thin bill. Males are a glossy black with bold, white wing patches, visible only in flight. Females are gray, with white edging on the wing feathers, but no wing patches. Adults have red eyes. Juveniles resemble females…
Read more

Look for “Sleek” is the word most often used to describe the silky fawn plumage of the cedar waxwing. A velvety-black bandit mask hides the eyes, and a bright yellow band tips the gray tail. Older birds have red tips on the secondary wing feather shafts, which look like shiny drops of sealing wax. Cedar…
Read more

Look For Bohemian waxwings are about the size of European starlings—noticeably larger than cedar waxwings. Like their smaller cousins, they are grayish brown, wear a black mask, have wings with waxy red tips, and have waxy yellow-tipped tails. The wings of bohemian waxwings are even more colorful, though, with bold white wing bars and white…
Read more